Patent Application
20150087191
The disclosure generally relates to an electrical receptacle, and more particularly to an electrical receptacle having at least one terminal clamp that includes a hold open feature to facilitate the connection of external wiring.
Electrical receptacles provide a convenient means of supplying electrical power to electrical devices or appliances. In particular, indoor and outdoor lighting, appliances, and the like, make use of an electrical distribution system through access of these electrical receptacles located in the interior and/or exterior walls of building structures, such as homes and commercial buildings.
Many such electrical receptacles have a line side, which is connectable to an electrical power supply, a load side which is connectable to one or more loads, and at least one conductive path between the line and load sides. Electrical connections to wires supplying electrical power or wires conducting electricity to one or more loads can be at the line side and load side connections.
Connections to such electrical receptacles are often achieved using a clamping arrangement in which a wire is inserted between a terminal clamp and a terminal plate, whereupon the terminal clamp is pressed down onto the wire to clamp the wire between the clamp and the plate. Often the clamping force is supplied by a screw.
While such clamping arrangements are effective, their use can be cumbersome. For example, often the electrical wire is wrapped around the screw to ensure good long-term engagement with the receptacle. This requires that the user hold the terminal clamp open with one hand, while wrapping the wire around the screw with the other hand. When a user is installing multiple receptacles in a building, for example, during a new construction, this increases the total amount of time required to complete the wiring process.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide an electrical receptacle having a terminal clamp that is configured to be automatically retained in the open position so the installer needn't do so. Such a “hold open” feature should also not interfere with the clamping.
An electrical receptacle is disclosed, including a housing having a top cover portion, a middle housing portion, and a back cover portion. The housing may include openings comprising at least one electrical socket. The receptacle may include a terminal assembly having a terminal clamp, a terminal plate, and a terminal fastener. The terminal fastener may be operable to move the terminal clamp toward the terminal plate. The terminal clamp may further include a tab portion, and the middle housing portion may include a tab pocket for receiving the tab portion of the terminal clamp. The tab pocket may further include a detent for retaining the tab portion adjacent to a first end of the tab pocket. As arranged, when the tab portion is positioned adjacent to the first end of the tab pocket the terminal assembly is in the open configuration such that a space is formed between the terminal clamp and the terminal plate.
An electrical receptacle is disclosed. The electrical receptacle can have a housing with a top cover portion, a middle housing portion, and a back cover portion. The receptacle may also include a terminal assembly engaged with the middle housing portion and the back cover portion. The terminal assembly may include a terminal clamp, a terminal plate, and a terminal fastener. The terminal fastener may be configured to press the terminal clamp toward the terminal plate. The terminal clamp may include a tab, and the middle housing portion may include a tab pocket for receiving the tab of the terminal clamp therein. The tab pocket may also include opposing ribs for retaining the tab adjacent to a first end of the tab pocket. As arranged, when the tab is positioned adjacent to the first end of the tab pocket the terminal assembly is in the open configuration such that the terminal clamp is positioned a first distance from the terminal plate.
A method for holding a terminal clamp of an electrical receptacle in an open configuration is disclosed. The method may include: maintaining a terminal assembly of an electrical receptacle in an open configuration using a detent; wherein the detent comprises a pair of opposing ribs disposed in a tab pocket, the tab pocket configured to receive a tab portion of a terminal clamp of the terminal assembly to thereby hold the terminal clamp a first distance away from an associated terminal plate.
One or more aspects of the present disclosure are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as examples in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention may be more readily understood by one skilled in the art with reference being had to the following detailed description of several embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like elements are designated by identical reference numerals throughout the several views, and in which:
An electrical receptacle is disclosed which includes a feature for holding a terminal clamp open to allow easy connection of a wire used to supply electrical power to the receptacle. In one embodiment, the electrical receptacle includes a detent that engages the terminal clamp to hold the clamp away from an associated terminal plate, eliminating the need for a user to manually hold the clamp in the open configuration. In this manner, an electrical wire can easily be positioned between the open terminal clamp and the terminal plate. When the wire is in a desired position between the terminal clamp and the terminal plate, the detent may release the terminal clamp so that the clamp can press the wire against the terminal plate. In one embodiment, the detent comprises a pair of crushable ribs that disengage from the terminal clamp as the clamp is moved toward the terminal plate. As such, the clamp is held open only once, such that after the ribs have been crushed or otherwise deformed, the detent feature is no longer enabled.
Referring to
The electrical socket(s) 2, 4 may be configured to be wired to a main power source such as 110 volts AC, as will be described in greater detail later. The receptacle 1 includes a housing 6 having a top cover portion 8, a middle housing portion 10 and a back cover portion 12. The top cover portion 8 may be removably coupled to the middle housing portion 10 and the back cover portion 12 using one or more suitable fasteners, snap-fit connections or the like. The portions 8, 10, 12 substantially enclose and protect the components of the receptacle 1, the function and arrangement of which will be known to those of ordinary skill and the art and as such will not be described in detail. For example, in one embodiment the receptacle 1 is a ground fault current interrupt (GFCI) receptacle. As such, the receptacle may have some or all of the components associated with such a GFCI receptacle, including, but not limited to, those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,463,124 to DiSalvo et al., and assigned to Leviton Manufacturing Company, Inc., the entirety of which patent is incorporated by reference herein.
The receptacle 1 may also include a mounting strap 14 disposed between the top cover portion 8 and the middle housing portion 10 to facilitate mounting the receptacle to an electrical box (e.g., wall box, etc.) using screws positioned through openings in first and second tabs 16, 18.
The receptacle 1 may include a plurality of terminals for connecting the receptacle to a source of electrical power, and also to enable the receptacle to deliver power to another receptacle in a circuit.
Each of the line/phase terminals 20 may comprise a terminal assembly 21 including a terminal clamp 24, a terminal fastener 26, and a terminal plate 28. In use, an electrical wire (not shown) may be disposed between the terminal clamp 24 and the terminal plate 28, whereupon the fastener 26 may be employed to press the clamp toward the terminal plate, sandwiching the wire therebetween and completing an electrical connection between the wire and plate. Although not shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand the internal electrical couplings between the terminal plate 28 and the electrical socket(s) 2, 4. As will be appreciated, terminal clamps, terminal fasteners and terminal plates may also be employed for the load terminals 22.
In general, a line wire delivers power from the service panel (e.g., breaker panel or fuse box) to the line/phase terminal 20 of the receptacle 1. A black (“hot”) line wire may couple to a first of the line/phase terminals 20 and a white line wire may couple to a second of the line/phase terminals. A black (“hot”) load wire may couple to a first of the load terminals 22 and a white load wire may couple to a second of the load terminals. Thus arranged, the receptacle load terminals 22 may deliver power from the receptacle 1 to other loads downstream. In some embodiments the load terminals 22 can be blocked by removable cover 30 and/or sticker to prevent inadvertent connection of the line wire to the load terminals.
Referring now to
Referring to
As shown in
As previously noted, it may be desirable to provisionally retain the terminal clamp 24 a distance above the terminal plate 28 to make it easier for the user to insert an electrical wire therebetween. Thus, as shown in
As can be seen in
Once the electrical wire appropriately positioned between the terminal clamp 24 and terminal plate 28, the user can engage the terminal fastener 26 with an appropriate driving tool to tighten the fastener, driving the terminal clamp 24 into engagement with the electrical wire to fix the wire in electrically connected engagement with the terminal plate 28. As the terminal clamp 24 is being driven toward the electrical wire and terminal plate 28, the tab portion 42 presses against the upper surfaces 58a, b of the ribs 52a, b, crushing, breaking or deforming the ribs 52a, b to an extent sufficient to allow the tab portion 42 to move from the first end 46 of the tab pocket 44 toward the second end 48 of the pocket.
As will be appreciated, once tab portion 42 moves from the first end 46 of the tab pocket 44 toward the second end 48 of the tab pocket, the ribs 52a, b will have been crushed, shorn or deformed and they no longer provide any resistance to the downward movement of the terminal clamp 24. Thus, with the disclosed detent 50, the terminal clamp 24 is held open only once. After the terminal assembly 21 is positioned in the “clamped” configuration (i.e., the terminal clamp 24 presses an electrical wire against the terminal plate 28) the detent feature is disabled.
In one embodiment, the middle housing portion 10 comprises a polymer material that is sufficiently strong to hold the tab portion 42 and terminal clamp 24 in place, and which is also easily deformed, crushed or broken when the terminal fastener 26 is actuated to move the terminal clamp 24 and tab portion 42 toward the terminal plate 28.
In the illustrated embodiment the ribs 52a, b have a triangular shape, but this is not critical, and it will be appreciated that the ribs can take other shapes such as rectangular, rounded, spherical, and the like. In addition, although the detent 50 is shown as including two opposed ribs 52a, b, it is contemplated that only a single rib may be used. Alternatively, three or more ribs can also be provided.
In the illustrated embodiment the ribs 52a, b are formed integral to the middle housing portion 10. For example, where the middle housing portion is an injection molded polymer piece, the ribs 52a, b may be formed during the injection molding process. It will be appreciated that this is not critical, and that the ribs 52a, b can be formed after the middle housing portion 10 has been formed. For example, discrete ribs 52a, b could be adhered or otherwise attached to the middle housing portion 10. In addition, although the detent 50 is shown as being associated with the middle housing portion 10, it could instead be provided as part of the top cover portion 8, the back cover portion 12, or other portion of the receptacle 1.
It will be appreciated that the detent 50 can be arranged in any of a variety of sizes, shapes and materials as long as it enables the tab portion 42 and terminal clamp 24 to be held in an open position for electrical wire installation, and releases the tab portion and terminal clamp to engage the wire with the terminal plate 28.
It is important to note that the terms used herein are intended to be broad terms and not terms of limitation. For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” shall mean the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate member being attached to one another. Such joining may be permanent in nature or alternatively may be removable or releasable in nature. Such joining may relate to a mechanical and/or electrical relationship between the two components.
It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the electrical receptacle as shown in the exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in the claims. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
While certain embodiments of the disclosure have been described herein, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision additional modifications, features, and advantages within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
